Dr Kerryn Phelps, AMA President with Neil Mitchell, '3AW'

MITCHELL: Well, who actually will stop?

PHELPS: Well, there are several hundred doctors who are going to come to a meeting at the Australian Medical Association in Victoria to discuss a protest over their working conditions and pay.

MITCHELL: What sort of jobs do they do normally?

PHELPS: They're normally the doctors who work in the public hospitals who are the specialists, and there are the junior doctors who look after people when they come into hospitals, into public hospitals for care and treatment.

MITCHELL: So, there's not much doubt it'll have an effect on people?

PHELPS: Well, it certainly will have an effect today. There will be longer waits in the hospitals. There may be delays for treatment. But certainly there will be sufficient staff remaining in the hospitals to ensure patients' safety.

MITCHELL: That means suffering, though, doesn't it? Delays for treatment means suffering.

PHELPS: I think it's just one of those situations where the doctors need to get together to discuss the situation that is facing them and the conditions in the public hospitals, for longer term benefit. And ultimately if the doctors are working under inadequate and inappropriate conditions, then the patients ultimately will suffer.

MITCHELL: Well, yeah, but they could meet - it doesn't have to be a stop work meeting to have that sort of discussion. Is this designed to put pressure on Government? Or is it really designed to consult?

PHELPS: I think it's both. I think it's important that the doctors consult. It's also important that they make their concerns known to the Government. And things like guaranteeing adequate breaks between shifts, that's a safety issue for patients.

MITCHELL: It's also - it's a bit of - I don't doubt there's some good - some just claims in there. I know some of the problems in the public hospital system, but it is a huge step and a distressing step, to see doctors stopping work. Industrial action like builders labourers. You're not builders labourers.

PHELPS: No, they're not. But, I think it's a reflection of the frustration that the doctors are feeling. That the normal diplomatic processes are not working, haven't been working and they don't feel are likely to work. And so that obviously feeling the need and feeling the frustration of having to take extraordinary action in order to be heard.

MITCHELL: Will there be more action following?

PHELPS: I guess it depends on what the Government's response is.

MITCHELL: So, there's a possibility of more action?

PHELPS: I think we'll have to see what comes out of this meeting today, and what the Government's response is.

MITCHELL: Will you be recommending more action?

PHELPS: Well, clearly this is an issue that is between the doctors and the State Government. I'm prepared to represent the Federal AMA today and I'll be talking about how things like conditions, study leave, adequate breaks between shifts and the needs for quality and safety issues can be made inherent in the Commonwealth and State health agreements, which will be coming up next July. And I think we can get more out of those Commonwealth State agreements than the current fight over who gets what side of the pie.

MITCHELL: Can a person who is a doctor and all that involves, all the study that involves, and responsibility that involves, how can they possibly turn their back on a patient for whatever reason? 'Here I am. I'm walking out. I'm going to a stop work meeting.'

PHELPS: Yeah, well, you can't. I mean you have to satisfy yourself. I mean, the doctors who believe that their patients' care will suffer in the time that they're away for the meeting are obviously not going to leave their posts. And the doctors will make sure that there is enough cover in the hospitals so that patient care doesn't suffer. I mean, that's what happens at night. After hours, there's less staff on than during the day and most doctors do feel their sense of responsibility for their patients first and foremost, and that is what this is about.

MITCHELL: God forbid if we have a major incident or a disaster of some sort. Will everybody go back to work at once?

PHELPS: I think you'll find that there'll be enough staff within the hospitals to cope with any major event.

MITCHELL: Well, not if a jumbo goes in at Tullarmarine, there won't be. Will you go back at once if something significant happens?

PHELPS: Neil, if that happens, even though I'm a general practitioner, I'll be there to help.

MITCHELL: Okay. Just quickly, I know you've got to go. General practitioners, we've spent a lot of time looking at the shortage of doctors around Melbourne. Is that being addressed? I raised it with the Prime Minister a few weeks ago, and he said he wasn't even aware of it at that stage.

PHELPS: Well, I'm standing in the street at Healesville at the moment, which is in the Yarra Valley. And I've been talking to a group of GPs and community health workers from all around the Yarra Valley area. There are a lot of problems out here, particularly there's a major issue with the GP workforce.

The Government has been using inappropriate and inaccurate statistics for many years, when they've been planning the GP workforce. And I got Access Economics, about two years ago, to begin a study into the general practice workforce which showed what we believed to be the case, which was that there is a shortage.

Now, that shortage is really biting in places like Healesville and the Yarra Valley out here. And we do need to take an urgent look at how we're going about training the next generation of general practitioners, because the whole training program is in disarray at the moment. We need to have a look at the incentives and support for doctors who are working in outer metropolitan areas.

I mean, for example, out here in the Yarra Valley it's classified as an inner metropolitan area - a rural and remote classification 1!

MITCHELL: Yes, well, I must say the problems we come across weren't just outer suburban. We had quite a few western suburbs problems specifically, where people just weren't taking new patients because they couldn't handle them.

PHELPS: That's right. There is an overall shortage of GPs. It does need to be addressed in a careful and strategic way. I don't think there's a case for a knee jerk reaction here. I think we need to look at the implications 10 and 20 years down the track. Because it takes 10 or 12 years to train a specialist in general practice and we can't just say well, I mean, let's just open the floodgates and have lots and lots more doctors. Because you just can't cope with the quality of training that's required with unlimited numbers.

MITCHELL: Yeah.

PHELPS: So, we have to be careful about the numbers that are trained. But, by the same token, we have to make sure that sufficient doctors are training to meet the needs.

MITCHELL: Thank you very much for your time. Dr Kerryn Phelps in the main street of Healesville, President of the AMA

Ends